Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) is an annual bilateral naval exercise conducted by the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) [1] previously known as Exercise Lion King.
Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) is an annual bilateral naval exercise conducted by the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) [1] previously known as Exercise Lion King.
The exercise has been held annually since 1994.
Over the years, SIMBEX has progressed beyond its original emphasis on anti-submarine warfare to include elements of maritime security, anti-air, and anti-surface warfare. [2] Harbour phases include various planning conferences and simulator-based warfare training/ wargaming. [3] In a statement, the Indian High Commission in Singapore in 2019 stated that "SIMBEX is the longest uninterrupted naval exercise that India has with any other country". [4]
Simbex-2019 took place on the South China Sea and included maritime combat exercises such as firing exercises, tracking exercises, and coordinated tactical exercises. [3] [5]
The 28th edition of SIMBEX took place from September 02 to 04, 2021 in the southern fringes of the South China Sea. The Indian Navy was represented by destroyer INS Ranvijay with a ship borne helicopter, corvettes INS Kiltan and INS Kora and one P8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The RSN was represented by Formidable Class Frigate, RSS Steadfast, embarked with an S-70B naval helicopter, one Victory Class Missile Corvette, RSS Vigour, one Archer Class Submarine and one Fokker-50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Four F-16 fighter aircraft of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) also participated in the exercise during the Air Defence Drills. [6]
The 31st edition of SIMBEX will take place from October 23 to 29, 2024 in two phases. Phase 1 will be conducted at Vishakapatnam as harbor phase and Phase 2 will be conducted in Bay of Bengal region. The Indian Navy will be accompanied by INS Shivalik and their Eastern Fleet. The Republic of Singapore Navy will attend with RSS Tenacious. [7]
The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates significantly in the Persian Gulf Region, the Horn of Africa, the Strait of Malacca, and routinely conducts anti-piracy operations and partners with other navies in the region. It also conducts routine two to three month-long deployments in the South and East China seas as well as in the western Mediterranean sea simultaneously.
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the maritime service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any seaborne threats and as a guarantor of its sea lines of communications. The RSN traces its origins to the Royal Navy when Singapore was still a crown colony of the British Empire. The service was formally established in 1967, two years after its independence from Malaysia in 1965, and had undergone a substantial modernisation ever since – which has led them into becoming the most powerful navy in Southeast Asia.
INS Rana is a Rajput-class destroyer in active service with the Indian Navy. She was commissioned on 28 June 1982.
INS Ranvijay is a Rajput-class destroyer in active service with the Indian Navy. Ranvijay was commissioned on 15 Jan 1988.
INS Tabar (F44) is the third of the Talwar-class frigate of the Indian Navy. The frigate was built by Baltiyskiy Zavod in St. Petersburg, Russia. The frigate was commissioned on 19 April 2004 in Kaliningrad, Russia with Captain Biswajit Dasgupta. As of August 2024, the current Commanding Officer (CO) of INS Tabar is Captain MR Harish.
The annually held Varuna naval exercise is an integral part of France–India strategic relationship in the 21st century and consists of naval cooperation drills between the French Navy and the Indian Navy. The joint-exercises are held either in the Indian Ocean or Mediterranean Sea with the aim of improving Indo-French coordination on capabilities like cross-deck operations, replenishment-at-sea, minesweeping, anti-submarine warfare and information sharing. It was first started in 1983, though given its present name in 2001. France is Littoral State of the Indian Ocean through the French Overseas region of Réunion, Mayotte and Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean.
INS Shivalik (F47) is the lead ship of her class of stealth multi-role frigates built for the Indian Navy. She is the first stealth warship built by India. She was built at the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) located in Mumbai. Construction of the vessel began in 2001 and was completed by 2009. She underwent sea trials from thereon before being commissioned on 29 April 2010.
Exercise Malabar is a naval exercise involving the United States, Japan and India as permanent partners. Australia re-joined the exercise in 2020. The annual Malabar exercises includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through maritime interdiction operations, anti-submarine warfare, diving salvage operations, amphibious operations, counter-piracy operations, cross–deck helicopter landings and anti–air warfare operations. Over the years, the exercise has been conducted in the Philippine Sea, off the coast of Japan, the Persian Gulf, in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. It is conducted by the Asian and the North American Commands.
The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is a integrated tri-services command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India. It was created in 2001 to safeguard India's strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the region. It provides logistical and administrative support to naval ships which are sent on deployment to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
INS Kora is the lead ship of the Kora-Class of 1,350-tonne guided missile Corvettes in active service with the Indian Navy. The vessel was built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and outfitted at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).
INS Kirch is a Kora-class corvette, currently in active service with the Indian Navy.
INS Karmuk is a Kora-class corvette, currently in active service with the Indian Navy.
INS Shakti (A57) is a Deepak-class fleet tanker in service with the Indian Navy. She was built by Fincantieri, an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste. She is the second and final ship of her class. Shakti, along with her predecessor Deepak, is one of the largest ships of the Indian Navy.
INS Jyoti (A58) is the third of four Komandarm Fedko-class replenishment oilers. She was modified for naval use and is now being operated by the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. Jyoti was the largest ship in the navy until INS Vikramaditya (R33) was commissioned in November 2013. It is the third largest ship in the Indian Navy after the aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya. Its primary role is fleet replenishment and sustaining blue-water operations. It was later fitted with close-in weapon systems for self-defence.
INS Kiltan (P30) is an anti-submarine warfare corvette of the Indian Navy built under Project 28. It is the third of four Kamorta-class corvettes. The ship was built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, launched on 26 March 2013, and commissioned on 16 October 2017. Kiltan represents a leap forward in the Navy's attempts at localisation with as much as 90% of its content drawn from India itself.
SLINEX are a series of naval exercises between the Indian Navy and the Sri Lanka Navy. The first SLINEX exercise took place in 2005. The eighth edition took place in 2020.
Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise (TROPEX) is an inter-service military exercise involving the participation of the Indian Army, Air Force, Navy and the Coast Guard. The exercise generally commences at the beginning of each year and lasts a month. It is generally carried out in three phrases: independent workup phase, joint workup phase and tactical phase.
Milan is a multilateral naval exercise hosted by the Indian Navy. The biennial event features professional exercises and seminars, social events and sporting fixtures between participating nations.
RSS Tenacious (71) is the fourth ship of the Formidable-class frigate stealth frigate of the Republic of Singapore Navy.
HSwMS Hälsingland (Hgd), was the second submarine of the Västergötland class. The vessel was named after Hälsingland, Sweden. The submarine was launched on 31 August 1987 and entered service with the Swedish Navy on 20 October 1988. Hälsingland served with the Swedish Navy until 1997 when the submarine was decommissioned. In 2005 Hälsingland and sister boat HSwMS Västergötland were sold to Singapore, where Hälsingland was renamed RSS Archer and entered service on 2 December 2011. Archer remains in service.
 | This military article about the Indian Armed Forces is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Singapore-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |